The development and application of a classification scheme of informal helping behaviours.

Presents a classification scheme of 26 helping behaviors that were empirically generated and reliably coded by a team of 3 judges, based on a content analysis of interview protocols. The protocols describe the types of informal social support provided to a sample of 40 single mothers. The categories are organized into 4 main classes of influence, and each category is defined and illustrated with an example taken from the protocols. To illustrate one application of the scheme, data are presented contrasting the helping behaviors extended to the Ss in response to 3 problem areas. Methods of further validating the scheme and evaluating the efficacy of informal social support are discussed. (French summary) (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social support networks: Informal helping in the human services.

Reviews the book, Social support networks: Informal helping in the human services, edited by James K. Whittaker and James Garbarino (1983). Whittaker and Garbarino have compiled an excellent compendium describing social support systems. The introductory chapters review the history and present political, economic, theoretical, and practical implications of fostering and using the resources of family, community, and self-help groups to alleviate a variety of human problems. The chapters that follow, contributed by experts in their respective fields, give a "state of the art" overview that describes how informal networks operate in mental and physical health care, services to the elderly, child welfare, day care, aid to divorced families, schools, delinquency prevention and treatment, drug abuse treatment, and treatment of those with developmental disabilities. Rehabilitation psychologists should find the book helpful. It constitutes a necessary first step for those interested in developing the area of social support networks by researching the conditions under which various types of help are indeed helpful or harmful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A call for a social network-oriented approach to services for survivors of intimate partner violence.

Despite the many hard-won victories of the antidomestic violence movement, it has had less success in reaching one of its own primary goals: that of making intimate partner violence a problem of the community rather than a problem between two individuals. Most mainstream domestic violence service models have not prioritized ongoing engagement of survivors' informal social support networks as a core part of their work. Yet the perpetration of domestic violence occurs within a community context that contributes to the maintenance or alleviation of the problem. Given extensive research on the centrality of social networks to the fabric of survivors' daily lives, as well as their ongoing safety and emotional well-being, it is critical to consider how domestic violence services and systems can align with these social networks more effectively. Following a review of research on the role of informal social support in survivors' lives, this article calls for a shift in mainstream domestic violence services toward a more network-oriented approach, one that highlights potential partnerships between professionals and survivors' informal social support networks. Such a shift would require a reconceptualization of the role of the domestic violence practitioner and the scope and nature of services. It would also raise a series of emergent research questions about how informal network members can best support survivors, how domestic violence services can help survivors engage with existing and new supporters, and the extent to which specific types of network-oriented practices can indeed improve survivors' safety and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of a model of psychosocial determinants of occupational health of geriatric nurses

The purpose of this study was to verify a model of relationships between psychosocial factors and health for 8066 francophone nurses working in geriatric care in Québec. A random sample of 1990 subjects was drawn and a participation rate of 77.9% and 55% was obtained for the two-time study taken twelve months apart. Based on the theory of Maddi and Kobasa (1984), the model was reproduced for the two-time periods with the aid of structural equations. The analyses showed that three variables exert a direct influence on psychological distress: professional burnout, occupational stressors and hardiness. Also, variables have a direct effect on burnout: listed in order of importance, these are hardiness, occupational stressors, work support, active strategies of coping and employment status. In dealing with the work stressors, the nurses who are hardy make use of active strategies of coping and look for support form their colleagues. The results of the study help to better understand the psychological and social resources that best favor adaptation of working women in highly demanding work environments. The fallout of the study converges towards the quality of life of helping professionals and towards the cost and quality of health and social services.     

Formal mentoring: Lessons learned from past practice.

Formal mentoring programs are often implemented to help early career professionals; however, research on these programs has found mixed support. The general literature on formal mentoring programs has shifted from early studies comparing informal and formal mentoring to studies of the program characteristics related to success. A pilot program for formal mentoring of early career psychologists is presented for case study. Although the program was small and matching mentors and mentees proved difficult, reactions from some participants indicated successful mentoring. Drawing on lessons learned from the program and the general literature on formal mentoring, the author focuses on the matching process, training and program resources, and program administration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of patterned stimulation for use in surface functional electrical stimulation systems

From a gerontological point of view, social work which accompanies care processes is absolutely necessary. The social production of care depends crucially on an appropriate attention toward the fitting between informal and formal help systems. Social work can support these fitting processes both on a firm level and on a neutral level. Some specific attributes of social work with elder care-dependant living in their private homes are discussed, such as threatening, difficult or ashaming aspects, as well as the necessity of all involved persons agreeing in the developed help-planning process. Practice research and Social science perspectives are discussed as appropriate reference system for life-world orientated social work with informal caregiving arrangements. Concerning the support of informal caregivers as an important example of ambulant social work with elder people, some dimensions of theoretical and practical professionality are proposed.     

Sustained helping without obligation: Motivation, longevity of service, and perceived attitude change among AIDS volunteers.

A conceptual framework that identifies psychological and behavioral features associated with antecedents, experiences, and consequences of volunteerism is presented, and an inventory that measures 5 specific motivations for AIDS volunteerism is developed and cross-validated. Then a field study of 116 AIDS volunteers is presented in which a helping disposition, volunteer motivations, and social support (as antecedents), and personal satisfaction and organizational integration (as experiences) are used to predict duration of service over 2? years. Structural equation analyses indicate that dispositional helping influences satisfaction and integration but not duration of service, whereas greater motivation and less social support predict longer active volunteer service. The model is generalized to the prediction of perceived attitude change. Implications for conceptualizations of motivation, theoretical issues in helping, and practical concerns of volunteer organizations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Note-taking and passage style.

High-formality and low-formality versions of a passage were read by 120 undergraduate education students who either took notes for a presentation to professionals or to students, or simply read the text. A free-recall test showed superiority for notetakers and for those reading low-formality text. Despite passage style and type of instruction, Ss took essentially verbatim notes, but in recall, informal material was paraphrased significantly more than formal prose. A conditional probability analysis showed that an idea unit was more likely to be recalled if it had been written in notes than if it had only been read. Results support the encoding function of note-taking and its relation to informal prose. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

2 steps forward and one back?--Response of child welfare to sexual abuse experiences of girls and boys

What has been changed in the system of social help since sexual abuse became a public topic? Is social work capable of providing adequate help and support for the survivors? The article presents the results of a three-year-lasting research project. In three different regions the authors have scrutinized 1. the institutions offering help, 2. the knowledge of and the attitude towards sexual violence of the professionals and 3. the conceptional assumptions leading social work. The results show that the situation for survivors of sexual abuse has definitely improved, because there are more helping institutions and the professional awareness has increased. But for a profound reorganization of help, restrictive financial politics, internalized prejudices and institutional concepts need to be changed.     

Responses to nervous breakdowns in America over a 40-year period: Mental health policy implications.

The 1957 and 1976 Americans View Their Mental Health surveys from the Institute of Social Research were partially replicated in the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) to examine the policy implications of people's responses to feeling an impending nervous breakdown. Questions about problems in modern living were added to the GSS to provide a profile of the public's view of mental health problems. Results were compared for 1957, 1976, and 1996. In 1957, 19% of respondents had experienced an impending nervous breakdown; in 1996, 26% had had this experience. Between 1957 and 1996, participants increased their use of informal social supports, decreased their use of physicians, and increased their use of nonmedical mental health professionals. These findings support policies that strengthen informal support seeking and access to effective psychosocial treatments rather than current mental health reimbursement practices, which emphasize the role of primary care physicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral manifestations of social support: A microanalytic investigation.

Examined the specific interpersonal behaviors that convey support from one person to another, the types of interpersonal experiences that characterize individuals who report high vs low levels of social support, and the effectiveness of a range of helping behaviors in preventing depressive reactions to stressful events. 41 undergraduates completed a general measure of perceived social support and kept daily records of their social interactions and stressful experiences for 14 days. They also completed the Depression Adjective Check Lists each day. Results show that behaviors reflecting emotional support and informational support occurred as a specific response to stressful life events. Although esteem support was expressed with equal frequency in the presence and absence of stress, it was especially effective in preventing depressive reactions to stressful events. Ss who perceived themselves as having high levels of social support were more frequently the recipients of helping behaviors following stressful events than those low in perceived support. Perceived social support was only predictive of helping behaviors on days on which at least 1 stressful event occurred. The total number of helping behaviors received following stressful events was a significant negative predictor of level of depressive mood, although 1 helping behavior (frequency of confiding) was associated with higher levels of depression. Results are interpreted in terms of the buffering model of social support. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential attitude change in nonprofessional experience: An experimental comparison.

Manipulated 3 components of training and supervision of undergraduate nonprofessionals working with youthful offenders: specific intervention skills vs natural helping styles, frequency of training/supervision meetings, and size of training/supervision groups. Effects of varying these components were then observed on the nonprofessionals' attitudes toward themselves, the target population, and other relevant areas. 134 undergraduates served as Ss, 49 of whom were controls. Ss using their natural helping styles of intervention were significantly more disillusioned about themselves and the juvenile justice system across time; those receiving training in specific intervention skills felt more positive. Comparisons of these results with those found in other nonprofessional programs, as well as implications for professionals in helping careers, are discussed. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intraocular pressure control after contact transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation in eyes with intractable glaucoma

In the child health promotion program in Sweden, the public health nurse is responsible for the majority of the work. The purpose of this study was to test the following hypotheses: (1) there are differences in CHP program utilization between mothers in different social positions; (2) there are differences in CHP program utilization between Swedish and foreign-born mothers; (3) there are differences in the way mothers in different social positions value formal and informal social support as a means for solving health problems; and (4) there are differences in the way Swedish and foreign-born mothers value formal and informal social support as a means to solve health problems. A random sample was drawn of 10% of all children born in a particular month. A national postal questionnaire was sent to 850 mothers with children about four to five months old. The response rate was 80%. The CHP program was utilized by 99.6% of the families. When given scenarios describing various problem situations, the mothers stated that they mostly would turn to the public health nurse irrespective of the type of problem. There was no support in this study for the first two hypotheses that there are differences in CHP program utilization between mothers in different social positions and between Swedish and foreign-born mothers. There was support in this study for the two last hypotheses that there are differences in the way mothers in different social positions and the Swedish and foreign-born mothers value nurses, other health care services, relatives/friends, and literature/mass media as a means to solve health problems.     

Alterations in cyclin-dependent kinase 2 function during differentiation of primary human keratinocytes

Long-term care for the elderly has recently become an area of great interest for practicing social workers because of the increasing number of aged persons and the important role of government in financing and regulating their care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide a set of estimates on patterns in long-term care service use among older Americans over an eight-year period. This study applied multinomial logistic regression to analyzing the data from the National Long-Term Care Survey of 1982-1989 (NLTCS). The results of this study showed a number of differences from the results with cross-sectional studies. Of the 6,393 sample persons, more than half (56.5%) died over the eight years from 1982 to 1989. The rate of entering nursing homes (12.6%) was low. The rate of using community-based care services was fairly low. About 10.4 percent of the sample received care from helping professional personnel or paid helpers. As expected, the number receiving care from kin and other informal support was high. Long-term care services in the United States were distributed very unequally among various social groups. The indicator of need was not the only determinant of service utilization. Other variables such as number of household members, race, age and education were also important for service utilization. The predictors of deceased versus informal help were need, age, number of household member, gender and marital status. The predictors of nursing home care versus informal help were need, age, number of household members, education, attitude toward nursing home and race. The predictors of community-based help care versus informal help were need, number of household members, and education.     

Ecological constraints on mental health services.

Proposes 4 principles for community mental health programing that are consistent with an ecological thesis: (1) Assessment methods are focused on the total population rather than on those persons who presently receive a mental health service. (2) Mental health services are designed to reduce a high risk for community service. (3) Professional and research services are created as local community resources. "By initiating the informal coordination of current services, the community mental health program helps to create specific new community services as needed." (4) The program plans for change; this involves mobilizing anticipatory problem-solving resources not only for clients but for professionals as well. A "conception of community mental health work based upon the ecological thesis that adaptive programs change" is presented. (39 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative effectiveness of paraprofessional and professional helpers.

The outcome and adequacy of design in 42 studies comparing the effectiveness of professional and paraprofessional helpers are reviewed. Although studies have been limited to examining helpers functioning in narrowly defined clinical roles with specific client populations, it is argued that the findings are consistent and provocative. Paraprofessionals achieve clinical outcomes equal to or significantly better than those obtained by professionals. In terms of measureable outcome, professionals may not possess demonstrably superior clinical skills when compared with paraprofessionals. Moreover, professional mental health education, training, and experience do not appear to be necessary prerequisites for an effective helping person. The strongest support for paraprofessionals has come from programs directed at the modification of college students' and adults' specific target problems and, to a lesser extent, from group and individual therapy programs for non-middle-class adults. Future studies need to define, isolate, and evaluate the primary treatment ingredients of paraprofessional helping programs to determine the nature of the paraprofessional's therapeutic influence. (62 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student success skills: Impacting achievement through large and small group work.

A structured group intervention, Student Success Skills (SSS), targeting academic and social outcomes, involving over 1,100 students in grades 5, 6, 8, and 9 is described. The goal of the project was to evaluate a combination guidance/psychoeducational and counseling/interpersonal problem-solving group model using rigorous research methods. Results from a series of four studies that consistently demonstrate the effectiveness of the SSS intervention are presented along with a sample large group lesson and sample small group session. A discussion of effective group work practices supporting effective implementation of the SSS intervention and other structured group interventions follows. The article concludes with tips for helping professionals in schools who want to show they make a difference in academic and social outcomes for students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applicants' experience of social support in the process of seeking psychotherapy.

Examined informal social support during the process of seeking psychotherapy, conceptualized as four steps: realizing there is a problem; deciding therapy might help; deciding to seek therapy; and contacting the clinic. 315 psychotherapy applicants (aged 18–62 yrs) completed a questionnaire asking them whether they had talked to anyone about the problem prior to seeking therapy, whether they had help at any of the steps, and from whom they had obtained such help. Results indicated that social support was important across the process. Almost three-fourths of all Ss had help with at least 2 of the 4 steps, and almost one-third had help at all 4. Younger applicants had more help. Males more frequently had help from a spouse or romantic partner than females. Medical professionals were used primarily for referral to the clinic, rather than as sources of help at earlier steps. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Earthquakes and children: The role of psychologists with families and communities.

The 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake and 2005 Pakistan earthquake are examples of natural disasters that took an unimaginable toll on children. In such disaster management contexts, family members as well as health care and school personnel are the first-line responders and are natural sources of continued social support as children recover. Although psychologists have increasingly sophisticated understandings of post-disaster reactions and strategies for helping children and adolescents cope with trauma, models for responding to mass catastrophes are limited, particularly in geographically remote communities and in regions in which mental health services are stigmatizing. With children’s well-being subsequent to earthquakes inextricably linked to family and community, psychologists can make important contributions in 3 spheres: (a) coordinating and activating collaborations within children’s existing social contexts to develop post-earthquake interventions; (b) designing prevention and preparedness programs focused on the emotional needs of children in earthquake-prone communities; and (c) conducting research on interventions and recovery with particular attention to developmental stage, sociocultural-economic contexts, and the similarities versus differences across various types of disasters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A contextual schema for privately and publicly practiced psychotherapy.

Traditional training of psychotherapists tends to place major emphasis on intrapsychic conflict, ego structures, transference, resistance, and countertransference. In contrast, the influence of field forces and contextual factors on the practice and process of psychotherapy is relatively ignored. A tentative classificatory schema is proposed for some contextual variables that seem to influence the process of psychotherapy as it is practiced in the public and private sectors. In public sector contexts, these variables include the patient's family, the governmental bureaucracy, and hospital and outpatient clinic staff; in the private sector, these variables include the therapist's economic life, institutional and informal professional support systems, potential social sanctions, and the conditions of the clinical marketplace. The effects of these contextual variables on clinical practice are discussed. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)